Buhari must not look back on war against corruption —Agbalajobi

Segun Agbalajobi, a London-based Mental Health expert and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, is one those eyeing the governorship seat of the state in 2018. He speaks with WOLE EFUNNUGA on issues concerning the state and the country as well as why he intends to govern the state. Excerpts:

YOU have lived outside Nigeria for a long time and now you are interested in governing Ekiti State. What informed this decision?

Many Nigerians in the Diaspora are fed up with the way things are being run in Nigeria. We want to  apply our intelligence, experience of working abroad and our knowledge of how things are being done in the right ways and more importantly, using our hard-earned resources, to contribute our quota to moving Nigeria forward. As for me, I align with any Nigerian with good intentions to contribute to the development of the country. This is no time for procrastination.

How long have you had this ambition?

The journey, for me, started when I searched around for a befitting place to live in Nigeria, especially in Ekiti State. I carried out my findings but the result was the same everywhere I went; the situation was very appalling. I made up my mind that rather than complaining of the bad situation like that of Ekiti, it is better for me to operate within the system. I contacted those that matter and the journey began. Since then, my ambition and messages have been spreading from London to Ekiti.

Why the governorship seat and not any other elective position?

I want the number one job in the state to be able to operate from the top to the grassroots.  I want to address lack of amenities and insecurity in the state. The incumbent Governor Ayo Fayose is said to be performing wonders, I do not buy that. I was in Ekiti and saw things for myself. His performance is an assumption.

Most Ekiti people are of the opinion that Governor Ayodele Fayose is really trying but you seem to have a different opinion. Is this not because you were observing him from afar?

No, this is not a matter of observing him from a distance. Let me say that I commend Governor Fayose for his ability to hold on to power, but the state must move on. It is my intention to transform Ekiti into a model state. I do not understand what the government is doing with the state’s budget. I went to visit Ero Dam but the place is completely empty; there were no activities going on. This dam is supposed to generate power. I also believe that there are more to the roads the present governor claimed to be constructing than meets the eye.

But do you think you actually possess the experience to govern a state like Ekiti?

I have more than enough experience. I started from the grassroots, from the scratch, as a support worker in this country, rising to the top. Through my job, like some other Nigerians in the United Kingdom, I contribute to policy formulation in the health care sector. I did not just come to England, I have acquired better knowledge and contributed to developments in the United Kingdom aside from my academic attainments.

What are some of the programmes that are missing in Ekiti State, which you intend to bring on board?

I intend to focus on Agriculture, water, social infrastructure, health and power among others. On food/agriculture, massive investments will be injected into food production. Farmers’ cooperatives will be encouraged. Agricultural subsidies in terms of seeds, tools, equipment, grants and soft loans will be provided. Farming will never again be at the mercy of rainfall, because irrigation will be made popular among the peasants farmers.

On water, many of the diseases ravaging the lives of our people, particularly children, are water-borne. Despite the official huge investment on water resources, many still have no access to clean, potable water. This will be tackled accordingly.

In the area of social infrastructure, the rural areas where majority of Nigerians reside are completely forgotten. Many lack basic amenities to enable the people live a decent life. For an example, it is the absence of clean pipe-borne water in our towns and villages that has led to the upsurge of many fake ‘pure’ (sarcastically referred to as ‘poor’) bottled water businesses springing up indiscriminately everywhere.

Health institutions shall be encouraged to flourish and they will not pay water and electricity bills.

Finally, how will you describe the administration of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led?

I feel great and happy today to publicly acknowledge the singular deed of President Muhammadu Buhari, who deliberately and significantly included Ekiti State in the rail route of the proposed Abuja–Lagos rail project. The decision of President Buhari is frontally insightful and an utmost exhibition of genuine desire for the overall development of Nigeria. It is a decision by a president who comprehends the agricultural potentialities of Ekiti and the usefulness of a railway passing through the state. I wish to call on the people of the state to show gratitude to the president not only by supporting his policies but by offering him prayers at all times.

On the President’s war against corruption, I want to urge him not to be distracted with the cacophonies of unwarranted criticisms, which are being hurled against some of his polices aimed at uprooting corruption in Nigeria. The president is on the right path and should remain focused and unperturbed in his drive against corruption. What we are witnessing is the fact that corruption is trying to fight back, which should not be. He has laid his hand on the wheel, he must not look back until the fight against corruption is won and corruption buried in Nigeria.